Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Zinc was the biggest gainer on the
London Metal Exchange before a Labor Department report that may
show a decrease in U.S. jobless claims, bolstering the demand
outlook for the metal used in steel for housing.

Market News:

-- The German economy, Europe’s largest, contracted more than
economists forecast in the fourth quarter as exports declined.
{NSN MI77G16S972N <go>}

-- The French economy shrank in the fourth quarter as
manufacturers slashed thousands of jobs and President Francois
Hollande struggled to keep the nation from falling back into
recession for the first time since 2009. {NSN MI75RR0UQVI9 <go>}

-- President Barack Obama said the proposals in his State of the
Union speech won’t increase the U.S. deficit “by a single dime.”
He didn’t say they’d be free. {NSN MI75B66TTDTD <go>}

-- Asian stocks advanced, led by shares in Hong Kong that
resumed trading following a three-day break, as an unexpected
contraction in Japan’s economy last quarter bolstered the case
for more monetary stimulus. Metals gained.
{NSN MI757D0D9L35 <go>}

-- Gold demand rose 3.8 percent in the fourth quarter as Indian
purchases jumped, narrowing the first drop in annual usage in
three years, the World Gold Council said. India remained last
year’s biggest buyer, ahead of China. {NSN MI64NK6S972A <go>}

Metals News:

-- Aluminum stockpiles in Japan climbed 11 percent last month to
the highest level in almost four years, according to trading
company Marubeni Corp. {NSN MI6XSA0YHQ0X <go>}

-- United Co. Rusal, the biggest aluminum producer, is setting
the premiums clients must pay for its metal every month instead
of annually as in previous years to more closely link the
payments it gets to market movements. {NSN MI76VB6TTDWZ <go>}

-- Aurubis said demand for copper cathodes dropped in the first
quarter. {nsn MI74ZG6K50ZR <GO>}

-- Rio Tinto Group, the world’s second-largest mining company,
reported a wider second-half loss, the biggest in at least 16
years, after taking a $14 billion one-time charge on the value
of its aluminum and coal business. {NSN MI76280D9L35 <go>}